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Tübingen, 24 October 2025. DKMS, the international non-profit organization dedicated to saving the lives of people with blood cancer and blood disorders and the world's largest stem cell donor database, has published its second Global Impact Report. The report highlights the most important successes and key figures of 2024. Moreover, it includes personal stories from survivors and individuals who have saved lives through their stem cell donations. These stories support DKMS's mission to give as many affected people worldwide as possible a second chance at life.
Global willingness to donate stem cells is essential to making lifesaving transplantations possible. Currently, more than 13 million people are registered with DKMS. Since 1991, the organization has facilitated more than 130,000 stem cell donations worldwide. According to the Global Impact Report, in 2024 DKMS had 12.7 million potential donors from seven countries on five continents in its database. Almost 729,344 people were newly recruited in 2024 alone, 344,443 of them in Germany.
In 2024, 9,126 people in 60 countries received a second chance at life through a DKMS stem cell donation. Up to and including 2024, DKMS enabled an additional 2,275 people, primarily in medically underserved regions, to access lifesaving transplants through aid programs and other initiatives, including 454 in 2024.
In this context, the Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT) Start-up Program was launched in 2024 to provide hospitals and transplant centers in underserved regions with infrastructure and medical advice. ‘By the end of 2024, our collaboration with children's hospitals in Uzbekistan and Vietnam had already enabled six successful transplantations,’ explains Elke Neujahr, Global CEO of DKMS.
A milestone in the further development of stem cell donation was reached in 2024 with the first blood cancer patient to receive a transplant of stored stem cells from an adult donor (ADCUs). The DKMS Stem Cell Bank in Dresden is the first institution worldwide to offer the possibility of storing surplus peripheral stem cells from adult donors so that they are available at short notice for patients in urgent need of a transplant.
Three pillars for a second chance at life
DKMS takes a holistic approach to helping people with blood cancer and blood disorders. “Our goal is to find a suitable donor for everyone affected, improve treatment outcomes and ensure that people in underserved regions have access to lifesaving transplantations,” says Elke Neujahr.
The DKMS Global Impact Report shows how the organization is addressing these challenges and health inequalities worldwide:
1. More stem cell donations worldwide – through the continuous expansion of a genetically diverse donor pool that offers as many patients as possible, regardless of their origin, a chance of successful treatment.
2. Equity in global healthcare – through better access to lifesaving transplantations, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
3. Advancing research and development – contributing to the progress of innovative cell therapies and improvement of survival rates.
The next generation of ‘lifesavers’
DKMS has set up its own task force to encourage young people between the ages of 18 and 25 in particular to register as stem cell donors through public relations work. Their stem cells increase the chances of a successful transplantation. “We reach young people with our campaigns at festivals, in schools and sports clubs,” explains Elke Neujahr. ”It is important to respond precisely to their needs, reservations and expectations.”
DKMS has set itself ambitious goals for the future with its Agenda 2030. “Over the next five years, we want to increase the number of donors in our database to 17 million and the number of people with blood cancer whom we have been able to give a second chance at life since 1991 to 200,000,” says Elke Neujahr. ”With the passion and commitment of our team and all the people who support us financially and medically, I am confident that we can achieve these goals.”
About DKMS
DKMS is an international non-profit organization whose goal is to give as many blood cancer patients as possible around the world a second chance at life. It was founded in Germany in 1991 by Dr Peter Harf and has since ensured that more and more patients receive life-saving stem cell donations. More than 13 million potential donors are registered with DKMS, and to date, the organization has arranged more than 130,000 stem cell donations. In addition to Germany, DKMS is active in the USA, Poland, the UK, Chile, India and South Africa. Through international projects and aid programs, DKMS is giving even more people worldwide access to life-saving therapy. In addition, DKMS is involved in medicine, science and research to improve the chances of recovery for patients. In its high-performance laboratory, the DKMS Life Science Lab, the organization sets global standards for typing potential stem cell donors in order to find the perfect match for a transplant.
https://www.dkms-group.org/global-impact-report-2024 The complete DKMS Global Impact Report 2024 is available for download.
Global impact in numbers
Copyright: DKMS
Merkmale dieser Pressemitteilung:
Journalisten, Wirtschaftsvertreter, Wissenschaftler
Biologie, Ernährung / Gesundheit / Pflege, Medizin
überregional
Buntes aus der Wissenschaft, Organisatorisches
Englisch
Global impact in numbers
Copyright: DKMS
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